Comments on: Soil Food: The Best Dirt Cheap Organic Soil Amendments

By: Debbie

Debbie — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 03:09:47 +0000

Some people apparently use Borax, or Soda, things like that. Is that helpful?

By: Stephanie Rose

Stephanie Rose — Tue, 09 May 2023 23:08:03 +0000

In reply to Suzanne. I use them in my compost. A post is coming on that soon!

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 16:59:49 +0000

Are coffee grounds good for soil?

By: Cynthia Walker

Cynthia Walker — Thu, 14 May 2020 19:10:56 +0000

Thanks for sharing your blog! Your information on the amendments has resolved my dilemma! Thank you!

By: Rose Morris

Rose Morris — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 18:09:17 +0000

In reply to Krista Prior.

Hi Krista,
Thanks for your questions. Since this is a guest post from Elizabeth Murphy, for a more detailed soil food guide I’d suggest checking out her book, Building Soil (https://amzn.to/1F4zx6o,) or her website (http://dirtsecrets.com/). She is also located in the Pacific Northwest: Tacoma, WA.

By: Krista Prior

Krista Prior — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 15:17:47 +0000

Pacific Northwest -rainforest, deer/slug/bear haven! I want to prep my soil for the spring. I grew a nitrogen fixing bean and left the root nodules in the soil to release nitrogen. Is the green tops of these ok for a green manure. How do I add this. Does it need to be chopped up? Should I cover it with some peat or other covering? Will it just mold in the rain over winter? How exactly are these three types of compost added. Do I simply place it on top for the wet rainy, 12 ft of rain, over the winter? Or should it already be composted and broken down prior to? How do I get wood ash… can it be any burned wood or burned plant trimmings from the garden. Can Tomato blight survive in the burn, and therefore I shouldn’t use that ash? I need a step by step I think… and the rainforest is a bit of a special case! Any input is much appreciated, thank-you!

By: April

April — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 16:48:57 +0000

In reply to Sharon. I have read sun flowers themselves are great to add to your compost pile.

By: April

April — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 16:47:36 +0000

Great little article…as a new garder/farmer, I read everything I can find about soil/compost. There’s so much I didn’t know! Thanks for the info!

By: Dottie Brannock

Dottie Brannock — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 12:03:05 +0000

How about egg shells. Will they help the soil?

By: Vicki Hollander

Vicki Hollander — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 14:00:02 +0000

I tried annual rye for green manure and it was an utter disaster. I have drip irrigation, and had to use a hand trowel to turn it over, it took several months an hour a day, and it’s still trying to grow. Down in Texas if you’ve drip irrigation-DON’T DO THIS. & Even when turning over it turned to sod, and spent hours trying to separate the clods…bad bad bad idea here.